Okay, it’s Labor Day and we’re all grateful that unions ended child labor and gave us the 40-hour week and the coffee break. But what have unions accomplished in THIS century?
The record is mixed. Union wins in contract negotiations and strikes have been followed in some cases by massive layoffs. The Biden administration, the most pro-union in recent history, enacted regulations that made it easier for unions to organize but overall union membership remains low at 9.9% of the workforce (6% of private-sector workers and 32% of government workers). That’s down from 20% in 1983.
Right-to-work states (in which employees are not required to join a union as a condition of employment) continue to outpace forced-union states in economic growth. Union leaders still steal money from their members and 56 of them were convicted last year alone.
Full disclosure: I follow union trends because I worked in labor communications on the management side during my corporate career and went through half a dozen strikes (not counting wildcat walkouts).
What may be changing is that the Republican party appears to be replacing the Democrats as the champion of the working class, especially in the private sector. Last year’s election was uncomfortable for union leaders who endorsed Kamala Harris while most of their members voted for Trump. Vice President JD Vance has said positive things about private-sector unions and the new Secretary of Labor has a pro-labor reputation.
How this will play out in policy remains to be seen.
We may see a split between public and private-sector unions. The Trump administration is pushing for private-sector job growth. Tariffs and tax incentives may induce companies to expand manufacturing in the U.S. and make it more difficult for them to move jobs overseas to avoid union demands.
At the same time, administration efforts to downsize government and promote school choice will diminish the power of government employee unions. In future elections we may see private-sector unions endorsing Republicans while public employee unions move farther toward the Progressive fringe.
Since the last century Democrats have helped union leaders organize and require employees to pay dues, while Republicans have tried to shift more power to employers. Nobody has tried to reform unions into organizations that workers will join voluntarily without government coercion. Here are a few changes I’d like to see:
Require unions to have a recertification vote every 8-10 years. More than nine out of ten union members never voted for their unions. (Perhaps their grandfathers did: The United Auto Workers has represented General Motors employees since 1937.) Union members technically can vote to decertify their unions but labor laws make this very difficult. Recertification would be uncomfortable for both union leaders and employers because workers who vote their union out may bring in a more militant union.
Give rank-and-file union members the same power as stockholders in a corporation to elect their national leaders, approve leaders’ pay packages and political contributions. Right-to-work laws that allow employees to opt out of union membership can give unions an incentive to compete for members.
Involve unions in worker training. Most government workforce training programs have had mixed results. Some construction trade unions already operate training and apprenticeship programs, and government-union partnerships may have potential in other industries.
Figure out how unions can help gig-economy workers such as Uber drivers and freelancers. Democratic proposals to declare them full-time workers in order to require union membership have not worked, but there may be ways to engage these workers while preserving their flexibility and independence.
Shifts in the economy and political climate are an opportunity to bring labor organizations out of the 20th Century and try new ways to help workers thrive. Let’s see if there’s any progress by next Labor Day.
Happy Labor Day! What have unions done for us lately?
Okay, it’s Labor Day and we’re all grateful that unions ended child labor and gave us the 40-hour week and the coffee break. But what have unions accomplished in THIS century?
The record is mixed. Union wins in contract negotiations and strikes have been followed in some cases by massive layoffs. The Biden administration, the most pro-union in recent history, enacted regulations that made it easier for unions to organize but overall union membership remains low at 9.9% of the workforce (6% of private-sector workers and 32% of government workers). That’s down from 20% in 1983.
Right-to-work states (in which employees are not required to join a union as a condition of employment) continue to outpace forced-union states in economic growth. Union leaders still steal money from their members and 56 of them were convicted last year alone.
Full disclosure: I follow union trends because I worked in labor communications on the management side during my corporate career and went through half a dozen strikes (not counting wildcat walkouts).
What may be changing is that the Republican party appears to be replacing the Democrats as the champion of the working class, especially in the private sector. Last year’s election was uncomfortable for union leaders who endorsed Kamala Harris while most of their members voted for Trump. Vice President JD Vance has said positive things about private-sector unions and the new Secretary of Labor has a pro-labor reputation.
How this will play out in policy remains to be seen.
We may see a split between public and private-sector unions. The Trump administration is pushing for private-sector job growth. Tariffs and tax incentives may induce companies to expand manufacturing in the U.S. and make it more difficult for them to move jobs overseas to avoid union demands.
At the same time, administration efforts to downsize government and promote school choice will diminish the power of government employee unions. In future elections we may see private-sector unions endorsing Republicans while public employee unions move farther toward the Progressive fringe.
Since the last century Democrats have helped union leaders organize and require employees to pay dues, while Republicans have tried to shift more power to employers. Nobody has tried to reform unions into organizations that workers will join voluntarily without government coercion. Here are a few changes I’d like to see:
Require unions to have a recertification vote every 8-10 years. More than nine out of ten union members never voted for their unions. (Perhaps their grandfathers did: The United Auto Workers has represented General Motors employees since 1937.) Union members technically can vote to decertify their unions but labor laws make this very difficult. Recertification would be uncomfortable for both union leaders and employers because workers who vote their union out may bring in a more militant union.
Give rank-and-file union members the same power as stockholders in a corporation to elect their national leaders, approve leaders’ pay packages and political contributions. Right-to-work laws that allow employees to opt out of union membership can give unions an incentive to compete for members.
Involve unions in worker training. Most government workforce training programs have had mixed results. Some construction trade unions already operate training and apprenticeship programs, and government-union partnerships may have potential in other industries.
Figure out how unions can help gig-economy workers such as Uber drivers and freelancers. Democratic proposals to declare them full-time workers in order to require union membership have not worked, but there may be ways to engage these workers while preserving their flexibility and independence.
Shifts in the economy and political climate are an opportunity to bring labor organizations out of the 20th Century and try new ways to help workers thrive. Let’s see if there’s any progress by next Labor Day.
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